


( Whumptober 2019) In Which Peter Parker Has A Rough Month

by embarrassing_myself



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Blood, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gun Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sickfic, Torture, Whump, Whumptober, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-15 03:34:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20859563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/embarrassing_myself/pseuds/embarrassing_myself
Summary: A collection of the 2019 whumptober prompts!!Mainly me just putting Peter though as much as I possibly can.Even though I love hurting Peter, I love fixing him even more, so most if not all prompts will conclude with a soft comforting ending.





	1. shaking hands

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my first submission for whumptober! I'm looking forward to writing these prompts for the next 31 days but I'm even more excited to read everyone's submissions! I work all day on Sundays so there might be a double chapter on Saturday or Monday but I'm going to do my best with getting everything posted on the given day! I hope you enjoy reading these prompts and please consider leaving a kudo or a comment!

Peter had always had somewhat of a fast metabolism, eating whatever he wanted and never gaining a pound. Maybe it was just his age though too, a growing a teenager needed a couple hundred more calories, right? He could vividly recall the day he understood what it meant to not have just fast metabolism but a super enhanced version. Most of the time having that type of speedy body mechanisms was great, it’s what gave him the super healing and the enhanced stamina and a few other nice little perks.  
But with every good thing comes a downside, nothing is perfect after all. 

May had been working the nightshift so Peter might have taken advantage of the lack of parental supervision at his apartment. Just slightly of course and he’d made it back home from his nightly patrol just a few hours later than curfew. It wasn’t as if he’d stayed out /all/ night. By the time he’d gotten in though he found himself too exhausted to fix anything to eat. With May at work, there was a lack of slightly burnt dinner waiting for him in the microwave. Too tired to make himself a sandwich or grab some leftover take out, Peter changed for the night and crawled right into bed. 

He had stopped two robberies, broken up a couple fights, rescued another cat from a tree, assisted with the cleanup of a minor car accident, and helped no less than three little old ladies carry in their groceries. It didn’t seem like much when he laid it out like that, but it was enough to leave him feeling particularly tired. So maybe that was why Tony and May were so strict about the curfew? 

Within in no time Peter felt himself drifting off, tired but safely tucked away in his bed.  
Peter had known he was tired, but he didn’t realize he’d be so tired that he’d sleep through the first alarm on his phone. Thank God for setting a backup one. His eyes widened and he jumped out of bed and scrambled to get around. It was almost seven so that meant May would be getting home any minute, but it also meant that Peter had no more than 40 minutes to get to school. If May got home before he got half way to school, she’d want to know why he woke up late, then why he’d been so tired to begin with, then she’d find out how late he’d stayed out and it would just be an ordeal. 

Peter threw on his clothes and brushed his teeth before doing what he could with his hair. Lastly, he pulled his shoes on and grabbed his backpack, completely forgetting a jacket or the five-dollar bill on his nightstand in the process. 

But at least he wouldn’t have to explain to May why he was late and if he hurried, he’d only be a few minutes late to class. It could have been worse, it wasn’t a complete failure of a morning. Expect of course that he’d completely forgotten about grabbing breakfast. He wasn’t that hungry though…he could wait until lunch.  
Leave it up to Parker Luck for something to get in Peter’s way when it came to lunchtime. By the middle of the day the teen was starting to feel the affects of missing not only breakfast but dinner from the night before. He knew it was just school lunch, but he was starving. Even cardboard pizza was better than nothing. 

“I knew I had a couple dollars left on my account, could you check again?” Peter asked, his face heating up as he stood at the front of the lunch line. He was sure he was holding up the line, a few students next to him had grumbled and muttered under their breath about the hold up. Like most people they assumed the other teen couldn’t hear their frustrated whispers.

A few students at least tried to spare him the embarrassment by looking the other way and pretending not notice.  
“I’m sorry Mr. Parker but you don’t have any credits on your account, you’ve got a 0 balance. Unless you’ve got 4 dollars, I can’t serve you a tray this afternoon,” the lunch lady said, she was an older woman with graying hair and eyes that looked they had seen a few things. But she was kind and she spoke to Peter with something like sympathy. Just not kind enough to let one tray slip by unpaid. 

“Um…” Peter trailed off as he quickly started to search his pockets. Maybe if he hadn’t rushed out the door that morning, he would have remembered to grab a few dollars off his dresser. He knew May would pay it up for him, he just hadn’t remembered to remind her the last few days. The teen checked his pockets one last time while someone from the back of the line groaned loudly. 

The woman’s face seemed to understand, and she gave him a sad look as Peter shook his head. “No ma’am, I’m sorry, I don’t,” Peter confessed. The woman pulled out a yellow sip of paper from her pocket and scribbled something down on it before passing it to Peter. 

“Take that home to your parents, it’s a note on why I couldn’t serve you a tray today, make sure somebody pays on it or I won’t be able to give you one tomorrow either,” she said, and Peter nodded before hurrying out of the line. He just wanted to exit the scene as quickly as he could. 

He sighed deeply as he made his way out of the cafeteria. It probably wouldn’t had been an issue if Ned was there, Peter knew the other teen would share with him or even spot him the 4 dollars for a tray. But his mom had called him in sick that morning. Even MJ would have been nice enough to offer him half of her packed lunch, not that Peter would ever ask. But they no longer shared the same lunch hour. He was on his own for the rest of the day. 

The time passed slowly, and Peter was finding it harder and harder to concentrate. He was getting tired, feeling a little colder, and more than little hungry. He was positive that as soon as he got out of class, he was going straight home to get something to eat. That was the plan, until he got the dreaded text message. 

‘Don’t forget Decathlon practice tonight, just because Ned is skipping doesn’t mean you can too.’ MJ

Peter threw his head back and groaned. Okay so an after-class snack was going to have to wait until around dinner time. That was fine though, he could make do. It wasn’t like he hadn’t gone a day before without eating. Admittedly it had been before the bite but still, his super metabolism couldn’t be that bad.  
“Peter,” MJ huffed. “You haven’t gotten a single question right all afternoon,” She narrowed her eyes at him some, and crossed her arms over her chest. “Have you been studying? I know you know some of this stuff.” 

Flash laughed loudly and Peter just wanted to sink into the floor and disappear for good. What started out as a ‘not a complete failure of a morning’ has turned into a disaster for a day. 

“Yeah, I’m just feeling a little tired,” Peter mumbled, sinking down further in his chair. 

“You’re going to have to get it together Penis, we’ve got a competition next week.” Flash said as he cleared his throat and turned his nose up at the other. “I’m not going to lose because of you.” 

It took everything Peter had not to snap at Flash. He usually wasn’t so quick to irritate but it had been a long day. So he was feeling a big grumpy.  
“Shut up, Flash,” MJ said before frowning at Peter. “I get that your tired today, just don’t forget to practice. We really do have a something coming up next week,” the girl said before moving on. Peter didn’t say anything, instead he tried to clear his head and focus on the next set of questions. 

Just when Peter thought the day was finally over his phone rang. He hesitated for a moment before pulling the cell out of his pocket. It was May. Peter hurried to answer it and pressed the phone up against his ear. “Hey May, what’s up? I’m about to start heading home now.”  
“Hey honey,” May said in the same warm tone she always greeted her nephew in. “I was calling to let you know that Tony just sent me a message asking if you could go over to the tower for a couple hours.” 

Now normally going over to tower was the highlight of Peter’s day. He never turned down the offer and it was often where he spent as much time as he could. But for some reason Peter was starting to feel a little sick, his was getting a headache and he was starting to feel himself break into a slight cold sweat. Before he could tell May though that he didn’t exactly feel up to it she started to speak again. 

“I went ahead and told him it was fine, I know how much you love going over there. I actually figured you could spend the night there since I went ahead and picked up another night shift. I know I don’t usually let you stay over on a weekday, but I told him we’d tired it out.” 

“You’re working night shift again?” Peter asked trying not to sound too disappointed. He had been looking forward to slightly burnt meatloaf.  
“That was the plan sweetheart, unless you don’t want me to. I can tell them I can’t make it and just stay home tonight, is everything okay?” May asked hurriedly and Peter flinched. He shouldn’t let May worry just because he had skipped a couple meals. He would still be just fine. In fact, Tony usually always ordered him something to eat for dinner and Peter had unlimited access to the kitchen at the tower.

Peter carefully sat down on the edge of the school steps, he was feeling a bit lightheaded. 

The sun was hanging low in the sky casting a pretty pink and purple hue against the horizon, he looked slightly left and noticed the Stark Tower. It seemed to be dominating everything in the skyline, Peter couldn’t help but smile. Even if he was hungry, he really liked spending time with Tony. “No of course not, everything is fine. I was hoping though that you could put some money on my lunch account, I’m out.” Peter said, holding back the sigh.  
“Of course, sweetie. Did you have enough for today though?” she asked, and Peter didn’t know where it came from, but the lie slipped out of his mouth before he could even think about it. He just didn’t want May to worry. 

“Yeah, it’s fine. I had enough for today...” he mumbled, and May seemed to accept the answer.  
“Alright, Honey. I’ll pay it up for the month tonight while I’m at work. Happy is going to be there in a couple minutes. Don’t keep him waiting alright, and tell him I said hello,” May said and Peter could practically hear the giggle in her voice. He rolled his eyes but smiled to himself. 

“Yeah, I will. I love you May, have a good night at work and I’ll see you tomorrow after school.” 

“I love you honey, have a good night, don’t say up too late either. I’ll see you first thing tomorrow afternoon. Bye.” 

Peter sighed as soon as the call ended before slipping the phone into his pocket. So, he’d just have to wait a little bit longer for dinner, that was fine. Even if Tony always ate super late in the day it would be alright. 

As soon as Happy pulled up, Peter trudged over to the sleek black car. He didn’t have the energy to rush around like he did that morning. He climbed in the back and offered Happy a short wave and a smile. “Hey Happy,” Peter mumbled.  
Instantly Happy’s eyes were scanning the teen. “You alright kid, you look like you’ve a had day. You actually look a little pale,” the man said with a frown. “What’s wrong, are you sick or something?” 

“No, just tired.” Which wasn’t a lie. He wasn’t exactly feeling well but he wasn’t sick either. And he was tired. Tired and worn out and cold and hungry and now slightly dizzy and light headed. Maybe he shouldn’t have stood up so quickly a couple seconds ago? 

“Huh, does May know your tired?” Happy asked with another frown. “What about Tony? Did you tell him, you aren’t usually tired? You’re 15, aren’t you meant to have plenty of energy still?” 

Peter wrinkled his nose and gave the other a look. “I’m not five, I don’t have to tell everybody when I’m tired. I just didn’t sleep too well last night.” Again, that wasn’t a lie! Just…a half truth. He didn’t get as much asleep because he was busy stopping crimes and helping citizens. You know, typical spider stuff.  
The older man continued to eye Peter suspicious but eventually let it go. “If you’re sure,” he muttered before he continued to drive.  
They passed by fast food place after fast food place and Peter stared longingly out the window. He wasn’t going to ask but he couldn’t stop himself. “Hey Happy? Can we stop and get something to eat?” 

“No can do, Boss told me to make this delivery quick,” Happy said. 

Peter wanted to argue that it would only take a couple minutes and Tony probably wouldn’t mind the wait. That and he had a feeling Happy was rushing them because of the Downtown Abby marathon he heard Pepper talk about a few days ago. 

Really though Peter knew he didn’t have any money and he’d have to ask Happy to pay anyway. He’d just have to wait. He just hoped he would start to feel a little better soon. The hunger pains he’d felt from earlier had dulled to an ache. Peter was starting to feel a little nauseated so maybe it was a good thing he waited. 

“Hey kid,” Tony greeted as soon as Peter stepped off the elevator into the penthouse. Like Happy had, Tony’s eyes widened some before he gave Peter a concerned look. “You okay, you look a little sweaty?” 

Peter couldn’t really explain why he was sweaty or feeling like his heartbeat had stepped it up a notch since he’d gotten in Happy’s car. Even if he could he didn’t have a good reason to worry anyone, not even Tony so he just forced a smile and nodded. “Yeah, I’m good Mr. Stark!”  
“Okay,” Tony said slowly like he didn’t exactly believe Peter, but he’d take his word for it. For now. “You’re going to love the blueprints for the new upgrades, I thought we could work on them tonight.” 

“Definitely!” Peter agreed, trying not to look towards the kitchen. The penthouse was huge with an open floor plan and a modern sleek design. Of course, everything Tony owned was modern and sleek and of the most advanced technology. Even the fridge. Which Peter could see if he leaned slightly to the right. 

“Great, glad it hear it.” Tony said, already walking them back towards the elevator, giving Peter not opportunity to swing by the fridge “I thought we could get straight to work. You don’t have any homework, do you?” Tony asked, already leading them back inside the elevator Peter had just stepped off. “I had to beg May to let you stay over on a school night, but when you see what I added to your suit it’s going to be worth it. Just have to make sure we don’t have any pending English papers due.” 

“Nope,” Peter said popping his P as he tried to remain as upbeat as he could force himself to be. “I’ve got a clear schedule.” 

Tony was right, Peter had loved the upgrades. For a while he was able to completely forget about how he’d missed the last four meals. Eventually though he couldn’t ignore the headache or the dizziness. He didn’t know how long they had been working for, but he was sure that it was more than a couple hours already. He had held his hands as steady as he could when he’d been working with the screwdriver, but it felt like his fine motor skills were taking a hit. 

“Hey Mr. Stark? Are we going to get dinner soon?” Peter asked almost shyly. Tony was always making jokes about him and another super solider needing to eat thrice as much. To be fair though it was past Peter’s typical dinner time already! So therefor he could officially say he had missed 4 meals and even he knew enough to put the pieces together. He wasn’t feeling too good because of the lack of food. 

“Huh?” Tony asked, looking up in surprise. Like had forgotten that food was something they both needed. “Oh, yeah of course. We’ll just finish up and I’ll order us some pizza,” Tony said with a quick nod and a brief smile before he set off back to work. “Shouldn’t take more than an hour. Think you could hold off for that long?” The man asked, staring back down at hologram. 

Tony always got like that when he was focused. He tended to forget about anything else expect what was in front of him and time seemed to pass so quickly like that. At least for Tony it did. But time was dragging for Peter. Still though the man was in hyper focus mode for Peter. He was working on the Spider suit and putting in upgrades just for Peter. It felt like it would be too rude and demanding to rush Tony. 

“Yeah sure, as long you get me pineapple,” Peter joked wile Tony mocked gagged in response. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Tony smiling though.  
Peter truly believed he could make it one more hour. He almost did too. There wasn’t another incident until 40 minutes into the wait. 

“-eter!”  
“huh, what?” Peter asked, quickly looking up. Had he zoned out for a minute? Tony was giving him another odd look. 

“I’ve been saying your name for straight minute, you with me?” Tony asked carefully. 

“Yeah, yeah of course I’m with you,” Peter said as he shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts again. “I’m sorry, I was thinking about something, what was it now?” 

“Underoos, pass me that screwdriver,” Tony said, holding his hand out and watching Peter expectantly. As Peter grabbed the tool though they both suddenly noticed how bad his hands were shaking. 

“Peter,” Tony snapped, sitting up straight and looking intently at the teen. “What’s wrong, your shaking?” Tony demanded. 

“Sorry,” Peter mumbled, setting the screwdriver down. “I’m fine, really.” 

This time though Tony didn’t take that for an answer. “What is it, are you sick? Are you cold, what’s going on?” He asked, standing up from his chair and hoovering over Peter.  
“I’m just not feeling so great…” Peter trailed off, reluctant to admit what was happening. 

“Friday run a scan,” Tony insisted, watching as the AI took a minute to get a biomedical scan. 

“Boss it appears that Peter’s vitals are unstable. I believe that to be caused by his dangerously low  
blood glucose level.” 

“What?” Tony asked in slight disbelief. “What’s his blood sugar?” 

“Sir it’s 50 at the moment, the recommend course of action would be to quickly increase his glucose levels with sugar and carbohydrates. If left untreated I predict confusion, unconsciousness, and it’s possible that a comma may result in lack of treatment.”

Tony paled before he quickly reached out and helped Peter stand. “Alright, did you hear that kiddo?” The man asked as he led Peter towards the elevator. “It’s time for a snack. And once we raise that blood sugar you are going to tell me exactly what happened to make it that low.”  
Peter wanted to protest but it took all his concertation not to fall. Even with Tony’s arm wrapped around his shoulder. He felt like not only his hands were shaky but so was everything else. 

Once they made it to the kitchen Tony set Peter down and quickly grabbed a glass from the cabinet. He then poured the teen a full glass of orange juice and sat it down in front of him. “Drink,” he demanded softly, not easing up until Peter had downed half the glass. 

“Hey Friday, go ahead and place an order for pizza. The usual but make it a double,” Tony said before he looked back down at Peter who still looked miserable. “And can you have them add an order of cheese breadsticks to it…and a desert.” 

“Of course, Boss.” Friday replied. 

“Keep drinking Spiderling. I’m going to get you some crackers really quick,” Tony mumbled while he went to the pantry and pulled out a sleeve of snack crackers. Ever since Peter had come into his life Tony’s shopping habits had changed some. He tried to keep more snacks around and his grocery bill had doubled but that wasn’t something that Tony ever really thought about. Nor did he care about the bill, not as long as Peter got plenty of food. Apparently, it wasn’t enough if Pete’s glucose level had dropped so low.  
Tony let Peter finish his juice and then he ate couple crackers before he ordered Friday to run another scan. 

“Looking better Boss,” Friday announced. “Still low but it’s at 60 now. I suggest another glass of orange juice; the pizza should be arriving shortly. “  
Peter watched as Tony took his glass and filled it up for him again. “Alright, Peter. I want to know how it got so low your hands started shaking. You even had my AI sounding worried. You looked like death back there.”

Tony calling him Peter was never a good sign, that usually meant he really was in trouble. But it wasn’t his fault! Peter wanted to shrink under Tony’s unhappy stare. He still felt terrible and his head was pounding, and he was still nauseated but also somehow still hungry too. 

“I stayed out too late last night,” Peter finally admitted after he took a long sip. 

Tony’s frown intensified but so did the question in his eyes. “Peter, we talked about that! I know you know when curfew is, but that doesn’t explain why you were at 50. When is the last time you ate?” 

He didn’t know why he was feeling so emotional, but he was. With Tony lecturing him Peter could feel the tears start to well up in his eyes. “I got home so late that I was too tired to eat dinner and I didn’t think it would matter so I went straight to bed but then I got up late!” He said quickly, trying not to let any tears fall. 

“So I missed breakfast but that was okay because I was going to eat lunch but then I forgot to have May pay my account so I didn’t have any credits on the account, the lunch lady said I couldn’t have a tray and then the others kids were mad cause I was holding up the line and it was so embarrassing Mr. Stark you have no idea!” Peter reached into his pocket and handed Tony the yellow slip of paper as proof. 

“And I was going to go straight home and eat but then MJ reminded me about practice, so I had to stay even later,” Peter said while his voice cracked some, just enough to give away how upset he was.

“And then I asked Happy if we could stop and get something to eat but he said we were in a hurry and I think it’s cause his show is on and you know how much he likes watching Downtown Abby…but then I wanted to stop and get something from the kitchen but I didn’t have time and then…”

“Than you asked me for dinner and I made you wait,” Tony said, his voice dropping a few octaves just the guilt alone. He examined the slip of paper in his hand for a moment  
before looking back at Peter. 

“You’re telling me that you haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday?” Tony asked with disbelief. “Pete you know how important it is for you to eat, you’ve got a superfast metabolism, and your 15. You need at least 4 meals a day and snacks in-between. If you’re hungry you have to tell me, when I asked you to wait, I didn’t know you had been waiting all day to eat. You’ve got tell me when something is wrong.” 

“I know,” Peter whispered, bringing the juice back to his lips and taking another small sip. “I’m sorry…I really did try to eat but between missing breakfast and not bringing any extra money for lunch. And I forgot all about decathlon practice…nothing panned out right today,” Peter mumbled defeatedly. “And I still don’t feel good.” 

Tony stared at the sad looking teen, knowing how bad he must feel. Not just physically but emotionally too. While he shouldn’t have stayed out so late, he didn’t deserve all that. He wished he could sit down and have a talk with the lady that told his kid that he couldn’t have a tray. And didn’t they need to provide snacks at after school practices? Maybe he should give Happy ‘Peter funding’ for when the kid wanted to stop and eat on the way?  
Either way, Tony would handle it. All of it. 

“Well, first things first,” Tony said softly before sitting down next to Peter, rubbing a comforting hand down the kid’s back. “We’re going to get you your atrocity of a pizza then you’re off to bed. Everything will be better in the morning, kid,” Tony hummed while Peter leaned into him. 

“Movie before bed?” Peter asked, looking up at Tony with those big brown eyes. 

“We’ll see…” 

Before the end of the night Peter was finally full, letting himself cuddle up to Tony as he fell asleep next to Tony on the overly plush sofa, a movie playing in the background. And if the kid’s lunch account had been paid up to the end of the year? Well that was between him and May.


	2. Explosion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see why they call it a challenge! I'm already a chapter behind! Thank you though to everyone who took a moment to read this! <3 I'm sorry if this chapter seems a little chopped and sloppy, I didn't love this prompt but I did the best I could! hopefully I'll have another chapter out by later today! Thanks again!

Tony thrummed his fingers against the polished oak of this conference table, wondering how Pepper had managed to get him to agree to attend the meeting. It was pointless in his opinion. Not the meeting of course, no that was an important conference on the release date of the next Stark Phone. What was pointless was him being there, that’s what he had Pepper for right? She handled all the meetings and paper work and she did all talking. Because Tony Stark did not do conflict resolution, it was either his way or the high way.  
It was fair to say he didn’t do well in business meetings.

But there he was watching as someone started up a PowerPoint full of charts and data. He sighed deeply and tried not to slouch in his chair. Could they be anymore generic? Tony didn’t even think they were trying to keep his attention anymore. He was about to stop the conference and call for a lunchbreak when the room’s large glass double door opened, catching everyone’s attention.

“Boss,” Happy said as he broke the silence in the room. “We have a situation, it can’t wait.”

Huh, that was odd. Tony couldn’t remember sending Happy an ‘SOS get me out of this meeting’ message. But perhaps in the middle of his boredom he’d forgotten? At least that was what Tony wanted to believe, he refused to acknowledge the trained, overly calm look on Happy’s face.

“I’m sure it’s important Happy but it really needs to wait,” Pepper said, not giving Tony the opportunity to leave just yet. She smiled apologetically at the group of people before sitting up a little straighter in her seat. “Whatever it is can be dealt with after the meeting.”

“FRIDAY activated an alarm code, I can’t turn it off even if I wanted to,” Happy said. Tony knew it had to be serious, Happy made it a point to never argue with Pepper.  
“And just what alarm did she activate?” Pepper asked, her voice sounding just the slightest bit frustrated.

Happy hesitated for a brief a moment and his face tightened some, like he didn’t want to say it. “She activated…code pacifier,” he muttered.  
Tony had thought it was funny, a bit clever even when he had programmed the alarm. Happy clearly hadn’t appreciated the code word at all. Although it might have been funny watching both Pepper and Tony scrambling out of their seats if the situation hadn’t been dire.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize but we’ll have to conclude for today, we’ll continue this meeting tomorrow at 9am sharp,” Pepper said, addressing the room as she rushed to follow Tony who was practically running out of the room.

Code pacifier had simply been the term he’d programmed the AI to use when Peter was in a situation. One of a particularly dangerous nature.  
Tony didn’t think much of it when he’d first typed in the code to FRIDAYS operating system. Now though it was his least favorite alarm and one that had been activated more times than Tony was comfortable with.

“What happened?” Tony demanded as they stormed down the hall, both Happy and Pepper trying hard to keep up with the man.

“There was as an explosion at Midtown, the news crew just arrived at the scene, but emergency services started receiving calls 20 minutes ago, EMSA and the police got there about 10 minutes ago.

“And how come I wasn’t alerted 20 minutes ago as well?” Tony demanded, already calling a suit to him and heading towards the launch pad.

“You knew as soon as I did Boss,” Happy replied.

“FRIDAY?” Tony asked, glancing up towards the ceiling for an answer.

“As of now sir I only receive information regarding midtown from local news sources. Would you like me to update this feature?” FRIDAY asked. “I can include communication between Midtown High School and the police department.” FRIDAY said.

“Update the protocol,” Tony agreed. “And make sure you include calls to the emergency services,”  
The three of them stepped out onto the pad, Tony already suited up and ready to go. He stopped only when Pepper grabbed ahold of his arm. “Call me as soon as you know something,” She said.

Tony only nodded before flying out, He couldn’t waste any more time. Peter could be hurt and that left him feeling shaky, panicked, and sick to his stomach.  
It was a short flight for him, only 10 minutes, but in that time, he had tried to call Peter a handful of times. Never once did he answer, instead Peter’s phone continued to send him straight to voicemail.

When he got there the scene was complete chaos. The fire department and several ambulances as well as police cars had the school’s entrance blocked off. Right outside the blockade were the news vans, couple reporters standing on the side and reporting on it. On top of that there must have been hundreds of other people, some shaken parents and some frightened looking teenagers.

But Tony had yet to see his teenager.  
In the corner of his eye he spotted the reporters aiming their cameras his way. They were either assuming that he had stopped in to assist or questioning why he had showed up to begin with.  
Somewhere in the back of his head he knew he was raising questions, that this situation was like walking on thin ice. He didn’t want anyone finding out about his connect with Peter or trying to dig deeper. All it would do is open up a can of worms for the teenager.

  
Despite all of that though? Tony found himself not really caring. He didn’t care what a bunch of tabloid magazines said or claimed, and he didn’t care if a bunch of news stations reported on his appearance at the school. All he wanted was to see Peter. Tony had to know that he was okay. That was the only thing on his mind.

  
He hoovered above the scene for a few minutes more before landing. “FRIDAY do a facial recognition scan for the kid,” Tony instructed, looking around the ground for another long few seconds.

  
“Sorry Boss, but Peter isn’t within my visual. He could either be in the school still or in one of the ambulances. It’s also possible that he’s left the scene.”

  
“He didn’t leave, he wouldn’t have left the scene of an explosion, especially not one at his school.” Tony mumbled. “Something has to be wrong.”

  
“Mr. Ironman sir!” Someone yelled and instantly Tony turned to find the familiar voice. And there standing right next to him was Ned, Peter’s best friend.  
“Ned” Tony said, turning around to face the shorter teen. “What happened here, where’s Peter?”

  
“It was gas leak!” Ned said. “It happened in the gym. Most of class was in the locker rooms when it happened but I guess Peter was dragging behind or something, or it could have been….he might have tingled,” Ned said, his voice dropping by a few octaves so he wouldn’t be heard.

  
“Is he still in there?” Tony asked, his heartrate speeding up as he stood there in front of the frazzled looking teen. Each of his words were pointed and clipped but he needed to see Peter. He had to know where his kid was.

  
“No, no he’s out,” Ned answered hurriedly. “But the explosion happened in the gymnasium where he was,” for a moment Ned trailed off, his eyes looking big and scared all over again.

“The blast reached all the way to the cafeteria since it was behind the gym, I don’t know how many people were hurt but Peter is the one who helped me out. He was pretty banged up, as soon as we made it out the paramedics came and took him. I think they made him go the ambulance,”

  
Tony didn’t stay to say anything more, instead he was running towards where they had parked the ambulances. They lights were shining red and blue and he watched as a few of them started taking off. His kid was in one of them and Tony had no idea how bad he was hurt. Super strength or not. What if-what if it was bad? Ned had said he was in the blast zone…what if it was truly bad?

  
How the hell does a gas leak happen at school? Tony would have betted money on Peter causing an explosion in chemistry but not this.

  
Tony weaved in and out of the ambulance line, glancing in the back windows to see if his kid was in one of them. The paramedics were too focused on the students to notice him. He was about to give up and assume that one of the ambulances that had driven off had Peter but finally, finally, inside the last truck he could see a head of cured hair and a pair of wide brown eyes staring back at him when he looked in.

  
Without thinking he opened the door, causing everyone inside to jump.

  
“We’re treating a patient” one of the paramedics barked out. It was humbling to know that some people didn’t care who he was, they would still reprimand him. Especially in times of crisis.  
“That’s my kid,” Tony insisted, not caring what they thought once again. He recalled the nanotech and tried to look around the workers so that he could see the teen.

“Mr Stark!” Peter exclaimed, wincing as he forced himself to sit up in the back. “I wanted to call you, but my phone shattered. Into like five different pieces,”

“Take it easy, don’t try to sit up,” a paramedic said, trying to ease the teen back down onto the stretcher. “Is he really your kid? Because if not this is a complete violation and I’m going have to ask you to leave, Tony Stark or not.” The man said, giving Tony hard look.

“He’s mine,” Tony said again, this time climbing further into the back. His kid, his intern, his spiderling. It didn’t matter, Tony would claim him any day. “Look, I’m his emergacny contact. He’s as good as mine. Just tell me, is he okay, what’s going on?”

A few other paramedics ignored Tony and instead went straight back to work on Peter. They seemed to be wrapping bandages around the arm that wasn’t currently being supported by a sling.

“There was a gas explosion, he was very close to area of impact…” the first man from before said, reaching over to hand another paramedic an oxygen mask. “He’s…he shouldn’t be alive right now, it’s a miracle,” he finally confessed, his tone softening just slightly. “They’re taking a girl who was in the cafeteria to the hospital for an emergency surgery. And she was at least 5 times further away from the site then he was.”

“So, its…it’s okay, it’s not that bad?” Tony asked, relief flooding over him.

Number one, he had Peter in his line of vision.  
Number two…while he did look beat up he was well enough to talk.  
And finally, number 3, his kid was alive…not dead. He was alive.

“Well it’s not great,” the man said, shaking his head. “But it could have been much worse. Again, I don’t know how he managed to make it out being that close to the explosion. That and he somehow got his friend out. He’s got a few broken bones…they’ll be able to tell for certain once they some few x-rays. I’ve seen enough to know they’re broken though” The man said before continuing. “His O2 level is going up with the oxygen mask, he was having a bit of trouble breathing but I think it’s sorted now,”

Tony’s eyebrows furrowed in concern while he watched Peter. They kid hadn’t been able to say much to the man, not with the paramedics insisting that he wear the oxygen mask. He looked like he was hurting but it didn’t seem unbearable.

“His blood pressure is good too I think he’s going to be just fine,” the man added, giving Peter a quick smile. “You can go sit with him if you’d like, try not to be in the way. Did you have a hospital you wanted us to transport him to?”

Tony didn’t have to think twice about it. He hurried over and took a seat on the bench and grabbed onto his kid’s hand, smiling gently Peter squeezed back. He knew as soon as that mask came off Peter would be talking a mile per minute and Tony couldn’t have welcomed it more if he’d tried.

“The Stark Tower drive around to the far back and make a right. There you’ll find an ambulance entrance.”

For the rest of the way, Tony continued to keep Peter from taking the mask off, giving the paramedics a chance to wrap and dress some scrapes and cuts. That and holding the kid’s hand and promising him that he’d get the new Stark Phone early . He just hoped there would never be another code pacifier again, even if he knew he’d be lucky if he could go a few weeks without the warning be activated.


	3. Delirium

Tony hadn’t left Peter’s beside since he’d been infected with the virus. That was 36 hours ago, and his fever still hadn’t broken. It was ironic in a sense, Bruce had the cure and he was working as fast as he could, but it took time to develop the vaccination. The scientist had started working on the antibodies the moment they had figured out that Peter had been exposed to the advanced strain.

“It doesn’t seem to be in the database of known viruses, but I’ve got all the information I need,” Bruce explained in the brief moment he was able to pull Tony away from the kid. “It’s not contagiousness but…it seems to be complex, it’s smart.” Bruce continued.

“What does that mean?” Tony asked, folding his arms over his chest. Bruce had dragged them out into the hall away from Peter so that he wouldn’t need to hear them discuss his health. However, Tony doubted that it would matter. He was too out of it. He’d been delirious for the last four hours.

“Well, it’s not like anything I’ve ever seen before. You understand that all our cells are like codes” Bruce asked, knowing that Tony was already aware. “This virus knows Peter’s cells very well. It’s disguised its self as his white blood cells. It’s appearing like his immune system, the white blood cells are aware that there’s some kind of issue, they just can’t find it." 

  
“Because the virus looks likes his immune system already,” Tony finished, and Bruce nodded in agreement. "They can't attack the right invaders.”

“That’s how the virus is sneaking past his immune system. Peter can’t fight this off by himself, it’s like it was created for him…it’s his perfect virus” Bruce trailed off. “You said he went out on patrol before he got sick, do you know what happened that night? Anyone he might have come in contact with?” Bruce asked with a frown. “Has he talked about going at it with any new threats lately, anyone that would specifically want to hurt him?”

Tony didn’t know what to say. He didn’t think Peter had talked about any new bad guys. He certainly hadn’t mentioned fighting with any super villains recently. “You think this was an attack against him? That someone used this virus as a weapon against the kid?”

Bruce hesitated before nodding. “The virus is too perfect, it’s been engineered. This isn’t natural and it’s not behaving in any kind of natural way. I’m sorry, if it’s possible I’d go back through the video feed of his nightly patrols and see if anyone suspicious comes up”

Tony couldn’t answer him. Someone had tired to kill his kid, with biological warfare nonetheless. “But you’ve got antibodies? You can fix this, you’ve got a cure?”

  
“It’s going to take some time to get it finished but I’ve got the treatment, a series of super-sized antibodies that’s going to be able to tell the difference between the white cells and the virus,” Bruce said.

“How long are we talking about?” Tony asked, his stomach twisting with worry. Peter had been sick for nearly 2 days, he wasn’t getting any better. In fact, he was continuing to get worse.

“I should have it done by the end of tomorrow.”

“Bruce, no, no…” Tony groaned, running a hand down his face. “That’s too long. His fever already at-”

“Almost 104.9, I know,” Bruce answered, cutting Tony off. “I know it’s high right now but I’m doing everything I can to treat the symptoms until I can get this done. The minute we start feeding it through his IV, is the minute he’s going to start getting better. It’ll be over as quick as I can administer it to him. I’ve got a whole team of experts, Cho, and myself working on it, Tony. I swear we’re going as fast as we can.”

Again, Tony didn’t say anything for a long couple of minutes, instead he pressed his lips into a thin line and glanced towards the med bay doors. “He’s going to make it, he’ll be alright?”

Like the true professional Bruce was, he gave the other man a professional answer. “I’m doing everything I can Tony, I’m working as fast as I can, we’ve got the best team, equipment, and facility that money can buy.”

“That’s not what I asked,” Tony mumbled. It was one of the rare moments when money wouldn’t make much of a difference. He couldn’t buy Peter’s health. “Is he going make it?”

  
Peter was so sick. When it had started Tony thought it might be the flu. He had been throwing up and shaking but then it only got worse.

He started mentioning the muscle aches and the pain throughout his body. Tony did what any parent would have done. He got Peter as comfortable as he could be and then called the doctor, or his case Bruce. Better than a doctor in Tony’s opinion.

Then Peter had looked fearfully at Bruce when the man had walked into his bedroom. Like he didn’t know him. He shielded away from him and tried to shuffle closer to Tony who had been sitting on the other side of the bed. They took him to med bay right after that. Peter had always loved Bruce, him trying to get away from the other man? They knew it was serious then.

  
“It might not be…ideal but I think I’ve got everything under control. I can’t promise that it won’t get worse before it gets better though.” Bruce answered.

“Right, just…try to hurry,” Tony insisted before glancing back at the double doors again. He wanted his kid, he needed to be there with him. Bruce seemed to be able to tell.

  
“Go sit with him, I know he’s out of it right now but you’re the only one who can keep him calm. He gets panicky when he can’t see you.”

Tony scoffed but smiled sadly. “Yeah, I’ve got the magic touch. I’m fluent in Spiderling, delirious ones or not.”

After speaking with Bruce, Tony went right back to where he’d been camped out for the last day and a half. Not before washing his hands and pulling on a new disposable isolation gown though. Bruce and Cho had been adamant about him wearing it. With Peter’s immune system compromised, they couldn’t risk any new exposures.

“Hey Spiderbaby,” how are you feeling?” Tony asked as he came into the sterile room. Peter looked terribly small laying against the bleach white sheets and massive hospital bed. His usually bright clear eyes were now dulled and glossy. Whoever hurt his kid was going to pay, that was all he could say.

“M’cold,” Peter mumbled as he looked up at Tony.

“I know kiddo, we’re doing everything we can to bring that fever down,” Tony sighed as he took a seat in the single lounge chair. It was the only thing in the room that wasn’t a piece of medical equipment. At first the medical team had been reluctant to let it be brought in. Once they realized though that Tony wasn’t going anywhere and that it would be a long night, they sterilized it and placed it beside Peter’s bed.

Tony hadn’t been being over dramatic when he said the kid was out of it. He’d kept trying to put together broken pieces of sentences, expecting to be understood when they made no sense. Tony knew Peter couldn’t help it though, with a fever that high? Poor thing, Tony was surprised that he could find the energy to talk.

  
“I have a fever?” The teen asked, looking at the other in confusion.

“Yeah, you do buddy. But Bruce and Cho are working on it,” he explained.

“Oh…” Peter trailed off. “Can I have another blanket?” he asked after a few short seconds.

It broke Tony’s heart to tell Peter no. “I’m sorry, Pete but you’re fever’s too high right now. You can’t get any warmer, you’re burning up now.”

“I’m burning up?” Peter asked, his eyes holding nothing but confusion. Tony placed a hand on Peter’s cheek and frowned.

“Just a figure of speech, kid. But you’re really sick right now…. we’ve got to wait until your body temperature goes down some before we can give you another blanket.”

“Okay,” Peter mumbled before closing his eyes. “I’m tired.”

“I know,” Tony said gently, stroking Peter’s cheek. “How did you sleep earlier?”

“I didn’t sleep earlier,” Peter said, shaking his head. Tony didn’t say anything despite knowing that Peter had been out for a few hours straight.

  
“You didn’t? Then what did you do?” Tony questioned, letting Peter talk despite how confused he was.

“I was visiting with uncle Ben,” Peter replied, making Tony feel a chill go down his spin. He didn’t like Peter saying things like that one bit.

“And what did your uncle say?” Tony asked, moving his hand to Peter’s hair and soothingly ran his fingers through the curls

“I told him I was scared, and he said that I didn’t need to be,” Peter answered.

“You’re scared?” Tony whispered. What he wouldn’t have done to take away all that fear for Peter. He would have paid any amount of money to make sure that his kid wasn’t afraid.

“Not anymore, but I was,” Peter answered.

“And what did Ben say to make you feel better?” Tony wondered as he played with Peter’s hair.

“He told me not to worry because you were going to take care of him,” Peter replied easily, like he had no doubts whatsoever. Tony blinked back the wetness from his eyes. He didn’t cry, never. If only Pete knew though, that the lengths Tony would go through to keep him safe were endless.

“Well he’s right, I am going to take care of you,” Tony agreed. “I always will, got it?” he asked with a small smile.

Peter yawned widely before nodding. “I got it.” The teen said, closing his eyes afterwards.

For a long couple of minutes Tony sat there like that, watching Peter take even breaths. He never knew Parenthood could be like that. Tony didn’t know he could sit in complete silence and watch someone breathe for hours and be happy about it. That just being right there with your kid was enough and that as long as he had Peter, he wouldn’t need anything else.

“I think I forgot to let the cat in,” Peter said suddenly but just as quietly.

“What’s that Pete?” Tony whispered gently.

“I didn’t let the cat in, I think it’s going to rain,” he answered as his eyes got wide again. “I got to go let him in,” he said shifting in the bed like he was going to make a move to get up.

  
“Whoa there, you’re alright, Pete. No need to get up okay, I’ll go let the cat in for you.”

“You promise?” Peter asked, settling back down when Tony placed his free hand on his shoulder and applied just the smallest bit of pressure.

“I promise kid,” Tony answered, he didn’t bother telling Peter that they didn’t have a cat nor did they ever.

“Okay,” Peter said quietly before he yawned again and closed his eyes. “M’sleepy,” he mumbled.

“I know, kiddo. Just close yours eyes and try to sleep for now” Tony said. Peter had slept most of the time since he’d been in med bay, but sleep was good, it was healing. Or at least that’s what Bruce said. He knew the kid was probably even more out of it because of the pain medication they had given him. He was sure Peter had to be feeling the medicine kick in.

“Okay,” Peter whispered again. “I love you dad.”

Tony felt his heart clench again. Peter had never called him that before. His eyes got wet again and he had to swallow roughly once or twice to get rid of that tight feeling in his throat. Dad. Peter had never called him that before. Tony knew it was just the fever talking but that didn’t stop him from feeling just a bit emotional.

It was probably the best name Tony ever could have imagined being called. Not that he was going to tell anyone that though, but ‘dad’ truly had a nice ring to it. Yeah…dad was a great name.

“I love you too.”


	4. Gun Point/don't move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter thinking I was writing for day 4. I thought day 4 for was 'gun point' but it's actually 'human shield' and day 5 is the 'gun point' prompt. so...in short? I'm sorry,challenges are hard. Maybe I'll squeeze that prompt in tomorrow. Also I'm combining this prompt 'Don't Move' which is day 12 I believe.

“Let’s just stay calm, there’s no need to be irrational,” Steve said, lowering his shield some. He seemed to be the only one who felt comfortable enough to lower his weapon though. 

“Spider-man, don’t move,” Tony said from his place next to Natasha and Sam, all their eyes were trained on the young hero. “Just don’t move.” 

It was meant to be a simple mission, nobody had anticipated it to escalate so quickly. Sneak into the hydra base, take it down, insure everyone was taken into custody, and then collect the information they had been gathering. 

The first couple of steps had went accordingly. In the span of 20 minutes the team of Avengers had managed to capture as many of the agents as they could. While a few had escaped in a nearby helicopter most of the agents had been apprehended or taken out.

Steve was about to tell Clint and Nat to start pulling out the computer hard drives and searching the infrastructure for things that could be useful when everything took a drastic turn. As it had turned out, not everyone had been detained or killed like the team had assumed. 

One lone agent had snuck past them and grabbed ah old of the youngest member. It had happened so quickly that Tony hadn’t had a chance to stop him. 

A man in his late twenties, or at least that’s how old Tony assumed he was. He was dressed in the typical black uniform and had a look of hatred on his face. The worst part though was that he currently had an advanced type of gun pressed directly into Peter’s temple. Not the normal type of street gun, something that would surly blast through the Iron spider suit.

“Nobody needs to get hurt,” Steve said calmly, watching as Peter’s masked blinked rapidly. Peter hadn’t had time to run, even if his extra sense had warned him. It had been going off since they arrived at the base, he assumed that it was just the nature of the mission had that triggered the constant sensation of warning. 

“Nobody needs to get hurt?” The man said with a sly smirk. “You’re one to talk Captain. Look around,” he added while pressing the gun to Peter’s head with a little more force.   
“What do you want, you want to make some kind of exchange?” Tony asked. He was trying to stay calm, to keep from blasting the man to bits. He would have too if he wasn’t holding onto the most important thing to Tony. 

“No, this isn’t some kind of ransom,” the man laughed. “I don’t want your money, Stark. You might have to stopped one base but there are many more out there. You and I both know Hydra is bigger than one location. This is matter of pride.” 

“What are you talking about,” Natasha asked, taking a step closer. “You know what happens if you hurt him, don’t you?” 

“You’ll kill me,” the man answered with hesitation. “But it would be it would be too late; your little spider here would be dead.” 

“Then just let him go,” Natasha said, taking a second step. Tony winced, holding his breath as she moved closer. He didn’t want to take any additional risks. “His life for your life, let him go and we won’t kill you.” 

“I’m not letting him go,” the man said. “I told you, I’m going to make Hydra proud today. You might kill me, but I’ll still be putting a bullet in this one.” 

“You don’t want to do this,” Steve said, trying to reason with the other man. “It’s not worth it.” 

“Hydra is bigger than all of us,” the man spoke calmly but Tony could see his knuckles turning white with how tightly he was holding onto Peter. Tony knew the only reason the teen hadn’t moved yet was out of fear of being shot. “it’s more than worth it.” 

“Let him go!” Tony found himself roaring, the anger and fear spilling out into his voice. “Let him go or you’re going to wish we had killed you.” 

“Or maybe I’ll take him with me, huh? The boss would love to have some fun with this one.” The man spat, digging the barrel of the gun into Peter. Tony could see the masks eyes squint, probably out of pain or fear.   
Tony felt his throat get tight. He knew his kid must be scared, he probably just wanted to go home and curl up in his blanket and fall asleep on his favorite spot on the sofa. Instead he was here in a hydra base surrounded by dead bodies and being held at gunpoint. 

‘Why did I say he could come, why didn’t I make him stay home today?’ Tony thought to himself. What if the man really did shot Peter? Would Tony have to watch his kid die right in front of him? Tony didn’t think he could live with that. 

“You’ve been brainwashed, you can still walk away from this,” Steve said, trying to convince the agent to let Peter go. 

“Save it!” The man barked, cocking the gun into place. “I’m not here for negations. But I’ll let say goodbye if that helps,” The man laughed. 

“Mr. Stark,” Peter said, his voice strained with panic. 

“Please, just-” Tony started but suddenly the man cried out and collapsed to the ground. Tony didn’t know what had just happened until he seen the blood pouring out the agent from an arrow in his back.

“Clint!” Steve shouted, looking up towards the building’s rafters. The archer had broken away from the group at one point during the attack. Nobody had realized that Clint hadn’t rejoined the team after Peter had been grabbed. 

Tony didn’t hesitate to run straight to Peter, wrapping the teen up in a tight hug. “Jesus,” he mumbled, holding Peter closer. “Are you okay, are you hurt?”

“No, no I’m okay,” Peter said, shaking his head as his mask disappeared. “I’m okay, I swear,” 

Tony still couldn’t let go, not yet. It had been too close for comfort. 

“Tony” Steve started after a short moment. “Bruce is bringing the jet; you and Peter should go. We’ll finish up here.”   
For once Tony didn’t argue with the Steve, instead he just nodded quietly before gently guiding Peter towards the exit. 

“I’m sorry,” Peter said quietly. 

“Don’t, not one apology. That wasn’t your fault, I’m just glad you’re safe.” Tony mumbled, wrapping his arm around Peter as they made their way out. He wasn’t sure how he was ever going to let Peter out of his sight, but he had a strong feeling the kid would be just fine with getting his blanket out and watching movies on the sofa. At least for the rest of the evening.


	5. dragged away

Looking back on it, it was ironic in a way. Tony never thought that the person who would manage to drag him away from Peter would be someone he considered a friend. It was all a bit of blur, which never happened to Tony. He could stay calm in moments of panic and chaos, he could retain his critical thinking skills with a sharp mind and perfectly clarity. Tony didn’t get blinded by fear or hazy with adrenalin. However, this time he couldn’t pick out every single detail like he was accustomed to. Instead though it had been like an outer body experience, watching from somewhere else and hearing it only passively. 

“Get Bruce!” Tony had yelled as he got down on his knees next to Peter. “I need some help over here!” The man barked into his comm while he surveyed Peter.

The teen had been mid swing, holding his own just fine, when he’d been hit by an electrical blast from the man who had called himself Electro. Tony hadn’t been sure if he was a mutant, an alien, or an enhanced being. The one thing he did know for certain though was that he had been blasting electricity towards Peter for over 30 minutes before the team had arrived as a bit of back up.

Peter had never called for it, but Tony had been checking in on his battle with the man and noticed he could use some help. The kid was still more familiar with small time crime, the kind Tony felt comfortable enough to let Peter fight on the nightly. However, this was looking to be a more advanced criminal by the minute. Tony finally shut the suit’s feed down and glanced towards the group of avengers that had been lounging in his living room. “Hey, I’m going to go help the bug out, he’s in the middle of a fight with some…I don’t know, I’ve never seen him before, but he’s got powers. I think Peter’s wearing down.”

When the rest of the time insisted on tagging along, Tony had almost told them no. That him and Peter could finish the problem in just a few short minutes. “The kid just needs a /bit/ of backup. Not all this,” he huffed over the comm as they made their way to towards Queens.

Tony had never been more thankful that the group of heroes had refused to listen to him. One moment Peter was swinging towards the man, just catching his second breath, the next he was on the ground. He had taken a rather large blow of electricity. The seconds passed and Peter still didn’t get up, instantly Tony knew something was wrong. Peter could withstand a lot, he could take harder hits…but this was electricity and it acted differently than a solid force hitting the teen.

Which was how Tony found himself on the ground next to teen, yelling his name. Clint and Sam took over the difficult part of the fight while Natasha ran off to get Bruce, Steve had started to run towards them. “What happened?” The man demanded while he leaned down to get a better look at the frighteningly still teen.

“I…” Tony trailed off, feeling his chest tighten and his breath come in shorter gasps. “He was swinging, he got hit by the electricity…he fell, I don’t know if he’s breathing. Is he breathing, Friday?”

“Boss, Peter is not currently breathing. It appears he has gone into cardiac arrest from the sudden and strong blast of the electricity his heart was hit with. The suit was not able to absorb the energy and his heart was stopped by the strong electrical pulse.”

“Use the defib settings!” Tony yelled. “Tell Karen to start the suit’s defibrator!” It should have already used the protocol. The suit should have been able to tell that Peter’s heart had stopped by its internal settings and it should have automatically attempted to restart his heart.

“Sir the suit was damaged, it was not designed to withstand that type of electricity.” The suit failed. The suit Tony created for his kid wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough. But Tony was sure he had included that risk factor in, he was sure had prepared for electricity…hadn’t he?

“That’s not possible…” he mumbled while Steve told Nat and Bruce to get there. “How is that possible?”

Friday hesitated for a moment before answering. “Boss, the suit Peter is wearing is designed to act as an insulator for electricity but not to this degree. The suit was built to protector Peter from mild to moderate occurrences of electricity. He was hit with current well over 2000 volts.”

Tony had put everything in the suit, a tracker because he’d gotten lost once. A heater because he had been cold once, a parachute because his best friend had fallen. It had that and so many more adds on because of Tony’s experience, but he hadn’t prepared Peter to be electrocuted with that many volts of energy. He had made that suit to protect Peter and it hadn’t done its job.

Tony needed to do something, anything. His kid was there on the ground, turning blue, dying. His heart wasn’t beating, Peter wasn’t breathing. Essentially dead.

“Boss, you need to start CPR or Peter’s heart won’t restart.” Friday instructed while Tony tried to hurry and start the process. The kid needed him, depended on him and Tony was letting him down. He clasped his fists together and made an attempt at some basic CPR, but he was too afraid that he’d hurt Peter worse. He was in his own iron suit after all.

“Tony!” Steve shouted. Had he been shouting long? The man wondered. “Tony, move, Bruce is here. You aren’t pressing hard enough.”

“I can do it,” Tony insisted. “I can do it,” he repeated.

“No, you need to move, Bruce needs room to work,” Steve insisted, grabbing a hold of Tony, trying to pull the man away. Tony instantly tried to fight him off, nobody should be able to take him from his kid.

“Steve get him out of here,” Bruce hissed, trying to do what he could to push Tony aside, his CPR wasn’t nearly as good as it needed to be. Bruce needed to work on Peter, and he needed to do it quickly, he needed air, he needed his heart to pump and Tony couldn’t give that to the teen right then.

Bruce was sure Tony was having a panic attack, but he had to save Peter, he couldn’t worry about Tony right then. “You have to move, Tony. You’re in the way,” Bruce ordered.

“Tony, enough,” Steve instructed, this time using as much strength as it took to drag the other man away from Peter. As soon as there was enough space Bruce started his own sets of chest compressions.

It felt like it took ages but finally Tony was on the jet, still trying to get away from Steve so that he could get back to Peter. “Let me go!” he snapped, ready to run back to the teen as soon as Steve’s hands were off him. Steve held tight though, looking equal parts guilty and apologetic. And worried. He looked worried. 

Finally, Bruce and the rest of the team dashed in, Peter being carried by Clint. They bypassed Tony directly and instead got the teen to the medical section of jet. Then it took another long grueling series of seconds before Tony break free from Steve’s grip.

“Is he…?” Tony asked, trying to see around Natasha. “Peter?” he called out, even his voice was shaking.

“Tony, I know you’re scared but Bruce can’t do anything if your standing right there in his way,” Steve said, trying to portray some gentleness into his tone but it was clear he was just as frustrated.

“Let me see my kid,” Tony growled, pushing Steve away again.

“Tony he’s breathing, I got his heart started.” Bruce said calmly, his eyes not meeting Tony’s as he got to work on something else. “He’s hurt but he’s going to be fine. You can see him if you stand to the side, I’ve got burns to treat and fluids to administer.”

Tony was allowed to stand near Peter but until Bruce gave the okay, he couldn’t touch the teen. Sam and Bucky had stayed behind to finish the fight up while Steve got them back to the tower. From there Bruce took Peter down to the med bay where Tony was finally allowed touch his kid, to feel his heart beat and know that he was okay.

The teen woke up a few hours later, groggy and sore but very much alive. While part of Tony was still unhappy that Steve had pulled him away from Peter, he didn’t know what he would have done if he had lost him. “How you feeling?” Tony asked softly, brushing some of Peter’s hair away from his face. “You scared me pretty bad there, Underoos.”

“What happened?” Peter asked, wincing as he looked down at his bandaged chest.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll fill you in later,” Tony said, offering Peter a small smile. “You’re going to be fine.”

“Oh…that’s good then,” Peter decided, closing his eyes again. Tony knew he must be tired. “Will you still with me?”

“Of course, kid, always.”


	6. stab wound/isolation/ shackles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In order to catch up, I had to pair up some of these prompts!

The first thing Peter realizes when he wakes up is that it’s dark. And cold, it’s incredibly cold. The second thing he realizes when he wakes up is that is stomach is throbbing. It’s a sharp hot searing pain that shifts his focus completely. “Ouch,” he groans, tentatively bringing his hand to his stomach. It hurts to even touch. When he pulls it away, he knows he must be bleeding due to the warm sticky feeling his hand is left with. If it wasn’t so dark maybe he’d be able to see how bad he was hurt.

Without any kind of light, he can’t really tell where he is. He knows he’s sitting on the cement floor, which is damp and cold. He knows his ankles have been shackled to the wall and that before he passed out, he’d been trying to break free. He can’t tell how long he’s been unconscious for, but it feels like it’s been more than a day. Again though, Peter can’t tell. He’s only judging based off how hungry and thirsty he is.

He closed his eyes and tried to recall everything he could from the previous day. He hadn’t been out on patrol, which was strange. Usually when bad things happened, they happened when he was Spider-Man. That evening though he’d just been Peter Parker. He had just gotten off the subway, he’d been at Ned’s house all afternoon. They were working on their science project. He’d cut through the ally like he always did on his way home but then…there had been a man laying on the ground. He looked like he’d needed help.

Even though Peter wasn’t Spider-Man right then he knew he had to do something. So, he rushed over and started to shake the man, he looked like he was in his mid-forties, late thirties at the youngest. His senses started to scream at him, there was danger nearby. Could the person who had hurt this man still be around?

Peter had been so sure that the man had been attacked and needed help. But suddenly without warning the man sprung up and…that was when Peter felt the sharp pain in his stomach, he had pulled a knife on Peter. The teen turned to run or to fight back, something…Peter couldn’t recall. He just knew that when he turned the man stabbed something else…like a needle into his neck. It stung and burned but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the pain his stomach. Then everything started to get blurry. He knew he had tried to run then but his legs started to get heavy and his vision was going. Then it was dark, and Peter woke up. In this very same room, with no lights and chained to the wall.

“Hello?” He called out, trying hard to clear his throat afterwards. It was like he had eaten a bunch of cotton balls. “If you’re holding me hostage, I’m awake now!” he yelled, hoping that his eyes would adjust to the darkness some. “Anybody here?” he called out again before looking around the dark room. There was no sound, no light, just the darkness. Peter sat in silence as he waited for someone to come. No matter what their intentions were, he was desperate to know what they wanted with him. He needed some kind of stimuli, even it was bad.

  
He didn’t know how much he’d regret that want later.

For hours nobody came. They had left Peter there in the room all alone with nothing but his aching stomach. The wound didn’t even act like it wanted to heal up. He briefly wondered if anybody knew he was gone yet. Was anyone looking for him? Surly they had to be, Tony had to have noticed that he didn’t come home. He was always reminding Peter of the curfews. He’d be so mad when Peter didn’t answer his phone or show back up at the tower. He really hoped Tony would come and find him.

It was the week he was staying at the tower, lately he had been alternating. One week with May one with Tony. It had been a system that worked out well. May would work a straight week of night shifts while Peter was with Tony and then she’d spend the whole week with him when he got back. While he was with Tony, he got to spend time at the lab, work on suit upgrades, get all the extra homework help he wanted. That and it was like spending time with this dad. It finally felt like Peter had the perfect life for a change. Well, maybe he had spoken too soon.

Peter carefully stood up, trying hard not to aggravate his wound. He needed to find a way out and in order to do that he needed to get out of those shackles. He yanked his leg away from the wall, using his hands to brace himself. But it was no use. He kicked again and again, until finally he lost his balance and fell back to the floor. Panting and breathless Peter placed his hands on his stomach. So much for not making it worse. It had started to bleed all over again. Maybe it had never stopped.

Eventually though just when Peter had lost all hope of somebody coming to claim their captive, the door to the room swung open. “Hello little bug. Sorry for the delay, it gets so busy at times,” The voice said. In stepped a man in a pristine suit, like one Tony might wear. He was sure Tony’s were nicer though. This man was not the same man who had been on the ground in the ally, it was a new man and for some reason he looked familiar. He just couldn’t place him. “I’m glad you’re awake. We’ve got some things we need to take care of.”

Pete didn’t answer, he instead he took a moment to take in the room he’d been in for the last several hours. It was like a cement cell. It was completely empty of everything expect a metal toilet, himself and the man standing in front of him. Behind the man Peter could almost see out the door. It looked like it was leading to a dimly lit hall. It looked gray out there too. There was nothing of color to be seen, unless he counted his midtown sweatshirt with the a worryingly large red stain on the front.

  
“Mr. Parker, I’d really appreciate your attention right now,” The man snapped, causing Peter to look back at him. “Do you know who I am. Because I know all about you.”

  
“No,” Peter snipped. He didn’t have to talk nicely to the man who had brought him here against his will. “I don’t know who you are or why you brought me here, but they’ll find me.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” the man said, surprising Peter some. He was expecting the man to laugh or deny his claims of rescue. “But it’s up to you rather the Avengers find you dead or alive,”

Peter hesitated a moment before answering. “What do you mean by that?”

“My name is Norman Osborn. I’ve been trying to find you for a long time Peter Parker. You went on a field to my corporation 2 years ago. That day changed everything for you…and me.” Norman started, giving Peter a strange look. “That spider that bit you? That was the result of years’ worth of research. Years of testing, funding, experiments all gone shortly after the incident. It was exactly your fault was, I’ll admit,” Norman said with a sigh. “The radiation killed all of our spiders that week, yours was the first to die of course but after that they all died. The experiment was a failure.”

Pete narrowed his eyes at the man yanked again on the chains that kept him secured to the wall. “Why are you telling me all this?” he demanded. He didn’t like were Norman was going with this story.

“Because, a couple months later Shield came and seized all the research we had done on genetrices and modifications, even our radiation research. Everything we had worked so hard for was gone, there was no way to recreate the experiments. Over a million dollars had been wasted. Or we thought. That was until Spiderman emerged. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together. A radioactive spider escapes on the day of a school field trip, a few months after that the world meets Spiderman. It just took some time to figure out which student it was.” Norman said, this time giving Peter a smile. One that sent Chills down the teen’s back.

They stared at one another for a few long minutes before Norman spoke back up. “Still aren’t getting it huh? While our arachnid research is gone, we’ve still got you. And in a way you’re even better. I want to know everything I can about you, Mr. Parker. And I won’t take no for answer.”

“What like…like my favorite color, what do you mean you want to know everything about me?” Peter asked, trying to scoot further back from the man. “I’m not giving you any information about the Avengers so if that’s what you’re looking for-”

Norman quickly cut him off. “No, I’m not interested in the Avengers. This is just about you today, Peter. My spider bit you before I had concluded my research. While this was unexpected, you are phase 2 of my continued arachnid research. I want to know every physical change, every new ability, I want to see what your limits are…what your physiology is. Which is going to take some carefully executed experiments. How you behave will determine how the Avengers find you.”  
Peter scoffed, refusing to let the man know how afraid he was. “All that and you couldn’t just ask me? Besides, if Shield came and took your work on the spider that meant it must not have been very ethical was it? Or maybe your experiments aren’t as good as you thought”

“Watch your mouth Parker, I mean it when I say I don’t care how I hand you back over. Dead, alive. Once I’m done with my experiments, I’ll have no need for you, whatever shape Tony Stark gets you back in is completely up to you.”

Again, Peter refused to say anything. More out of defiance than anything.

Osborn on the other hand spoke up once more. “Our tests have already begun you see, that stab wound you’ve got there? It’s deep, I got a look at it while you were out. Today tests is how fast your healing ability will function without natural substance,” Norman said with a pleased look. “In other words, we’re going to be skipping the next few meals. All in the name of science of course,” He smirked.

‘Great,’ Pete thought to himself. He ran a hand down his face and tried to pull the shackles attached to his leg once more.

“Oh, don’t bother with that. It’s vibranium. It’s impossible to break free, you can continue to try if you’d like. I just assumed it would be a waste of your time.” Norman smiled again before leaning down and setting something in front of Peter. It was a water bottle. “Before I forget,” he said in a sing song voice. “Now be conservative, you won’t get anymore until tomorrow morning. After your next series of tests of course,” he added. “Get some sleep little spider, tomorrow is going to be a long day.” Norman said before he exited the room, shutting the door behind Peter and taking all the light with him.

Peter scrambled to get ahold of the water bottle. He undid the cap and took a few long sips. He breathed a short sigh of relief, he was still so thirsty but he was pretty sure that Norman was serious about when he’d get his next water. Peter didn’t know what he was going to do but he hoped that Tony would find him and soon.

The experiments, Peter finds, are not anywhere near ethical. Of course, he assumed that much though. But he loves science, he understands the research method, he’s been doing experiments since grade school. These seem more like ways to torture him than anything. It’s just things they do to put him through agony, he doesn’t see how they could be getting any kind of scientist data out of everything they do to him.  
The first day they stuck him with a needle and gave him some kind of drug. He didn’t know which one, but it kept him weak and foggy. It was like his limbs had weighed a ton and trying to move or direct where he wanted his body to go was nearly impossible. So, when they took vile after vile of blood draws there was nothing he could do to stop them.

When they cut him up and let his blood run freely there was nothing he could do. He supposed he should be grateful that they at least stitched him back up. With no food though and little water his body just didn’t want to heal properly. Maybe the lack of sleep was starting to play a part in it too. The stab wound he’d gotten was still sore and open and start to look like it might be verging on infection. He couldn’t be sure, the only chance he really got to look at it was when he was in the lit makeshift procedure room they had stuck him in.

For the top scientists they sure used dirty looking tools. Everything they cut him up with appeared rusted and dirty. God he was going to need so many tetanus shots if he made it out.

After the fifth day there they didn’t even need to drug Peter anymore to keep him physically unable to fight back. He still hadn’t gotten any food yet and it was getting harder and harder to think straight. He had long since stopped fighting against his shackles. There was no way he could break through them. Everyday they would come and find something new to do to him. Like when they forced him to run the treadmill for those few hours. He had no stamina but every time he slowed down, they would shock him with some kind of electrical prod. Or when they had held him down, placed a damp towel over his mouth and proud over it so that it would mimic the sensation of drowning. What did science that have to do with part of the experiment?

One week later he was sure his wound was infected. The fever was what had given it away. His skin felt so hot that laying in the cool cement cell was a relief. Until the chills started. The only thing good about the seventh day was that he was given food. A bowl of something that looked like it could be grits, he couldn’t tell. Whatever it was he ate it without complaint, struggling in the darkness to feed himself but woofing it down all at the same time.

On the 10th day nobody came to collect him from their testing. One of the people that usually partook in the experiments came by though. He dropped off three bottles of water this time and his bowl of food and told Peter, “Make it last, this is all your getting for a while,” and the he slammed the heavy door shut.

Peter could only feel a sense of relief when he left. He didn’t know what that meant but he supposed there would be not experiments that day. Then the 11th day passed, and nobody came, not to hurt him, not to give him his bowl, not to bring him anymore water. He had listened to their instructions though, he had only finished one bottle by the second day. He was getting good at conversing water. He knew that couldn’t be good though. Wasn’t the average person meant to drink at least 8 glasses a day, he had heard that somewhere. Peter wasn’t even getting a full bottle of water. The 12th day passed and still nobody, then the 13th day Peter ran out of water.

“This is it,” he whispered to himself. “I’m going to die from hydration, that’s how they’re going to kill me” he mumbled. Either that or the fever would do him in shortly. It took all his energy to move from a sitting position and he felt like he was getting sicker. He was constantly going from chilled to feverish, it was to the point where it was hour to hour and every part of his body ached. His wound clearly had signs of infection, but he couldn’t fix it.

Even though he was hungry and cold and so very thirsty, and the pain was never ending. Peter would have done anything to get somebody to come and see him. He needed someone to scream at him or kick him again or cut into his skin and call him terrible names. Because at least then somebody would be there. There would be real human contact again. Being alone and isolated for so long was starting to take its toll on him. With just him and himself in the darkness, nothing made sense. He was starting to forget what warmth felt like or the colors he loved much, or the sound of Tony’s voice. He would have died happy to just hear the man’s voice one last time. He would do anything to hear anyone’s voice.

The 14th day come but Peter had lost track of time. Time didn’t matter though because he had no way of knowing how much time had passed, so it no longer existed to him.

He had finished the last of his water yesterday and he had scraped his bowl clean the day before that. He ran his fingers over the cold metal surface of the bowl and tried to hold back the tears. He felt like a pet desperately waiting by their food bowl, hoping that somebody would be kind enough to fill it for him. He hadn’t peed for a long time, maybe even two days. Peter didn’t know but he knew that it was a bad sign. He knew that it could mean his kidneys were shutting down. The stab wound from when he was captured never did heal, it only became more and more painful. So much that Peter only moved when he had to.

“Help,” he called out. His voice hadn’t been used in so long that it was scratchy. “Please help, I don’t want to die alone,” he tried to yell but it was no use, his voice didn’t come out more than slightly louder than normal. Which he was sure was going to happen. He was going to die there in that room alone.

“Tony,” he whispered as he closed his eyes. He wanted to cry but he didn’t know if he even could at that point. “Tony help,” He whispered, forced to lay back down. He just wanted his dad, or the man he seen as a father figure. He wanted to be wrapped up in his blanket at the tower, listening to Tony fret over him. He wanted Tony to run his fingers through his hair and tell him that it was all going to be okay, that he was loved and cared about and that this was all about dream. Tony only seemed like a dream those days. “Why haven’t you found me yet?” He took a deep breath and tried to remember the last time he had seen the man. If he was going to die, he at least wanted to die thinking about his family. The Avengers, May, Tony, Pepper…his family.

  
“We aren’t crying are we bug?” Someone asked. Pete hadn’t even realized the door had opened. His sixth sense had been way off lately, like it couldn’t calibrate. “I got you water and everything.” It was Norman.

“What’s the point of giving me that water if I’m going to die,” Peter asked. Really though, no matter how thirsty he was, he didn’t understand why he’d drink if they’d only refuse to bring him water again later. It would just be a cycle. 

  
“Come on now Parker, don’t be like that. I don’t want to have to hook you up to an IV just for some fluids. I promise, you’ll get more water later,” Norman said, his voice cold. “Get up and get this water, I’ve still got plans for you.”

Honestly death was starting to sound better. But he was so thirsty, he couldn’t stand it anymore. He shakily pulled himself up and watched the dim shadow that was Norman. Slowly he held his hand out asking for the water bottle. The man smiled but instead of handing it to the teen he sat it on the ground right in front of him. “Come on, crawl, crawl to your water Peter,” Norman said.

Peter’s eyes narrowed and it took everything he had not to tell Osborn to fuck off or to go to hell. But the water….he was going to die without it. And maybe a part of him wanted that, but a bigger part of him wanted to live. Maybe it was just self-preservation, but it was what forced him to get up and crawl towards it. Being thirsty was really like holding your breath for so long that when you do finally breathe your gasping for it.

“I think I made that a little too easy for you,” The man said, watching as Peter crawled a little further towards the water. He bent down and grabbed it, pulling it away from Peter and setting it further away from him. “Crawl to the water, bug.”

It hurt to move and this man was making him crawl for the water he hadn’t had for over a day. Peter took a shaky breath before he started to crawl on his hands and knees to the water. It was just within reach. He reached his hand out and his finger tips touched the cold plastic of the bottle. Just a little further and he’d have it.

But then Norman laughed, and he kicked the bottle out of Peter’s reach. Not across the room but far enough that Peter didn’t stand a chance at getting it. Peter did cry that time, it was too much. It was all too much.

The only water he had access too and it was gone.

Not even the toilet had running water. The water bottle was all he had, it was close and then Norman had kicked it away. “I’ll be back, Parker. Have fun.”

Peter spent the next hour trying to reach the water, but he could never manage. It was so close, he could almost touch it if he laid flat on his belly and pulled the chains on his shackles while stretching his arms. He knew the movement was irritating the rest of his fresh cuts that had also refused to heal. But he couldn’t stop from trying. Until he finally put his arms down and gave up. He was too tired to fight anymore. They had cut him up, filled him with drugs, took his blood, stole him from his father figure, and the only thing he had left was the water and they had just taken that too. 


End file.
